Alonjar:HOWEVER... you cant deny the elephant in the room in regards to gay scout masters/elders. While it sucks to paint innocent gays with such a tainted brush, I can understand the concerns of parents with leaving their children under the supervision of gay adults who actively seek interaction with little boys. Its just... sketchy. The boy scouts of america have an image to keep up, and saying "leave your little boy with gay uncle jimmy!" just leaves a bad taste in most peoples mouths.

The big word you're looking for there is "pedophile." And it has nothing to do with "gay." Those who think it does need to learn other big words, such as "ignorant," "bigot," and "dumbass."

DrPainMD:I have a great idea: join organizations that you want to join, and don't join those that you don't want to join.

I have another great idea: Don't try to take organizations that were established to accept, bolster and encourage youngsters from vastly different backgrounds to share common and noble codes and ideal, to be self-reliant leaders and fine citizens, and turn them into hateful taxpayer-supported bigoted religious propaganda mills.

This makes me so sad because scouting was a program I enjoyed very much when I was a kid. At the time I of course didn't understand bigotry at the time, and never saw any examples of it myself while participating.

I just wish everyone could have the same great experiences that I had in it, and that the program would quit publicly shaming itself. This seriously makes me a little ashamed to be an Eagle Scout. I want to mail them my patch and tell them that I don't want it if he can't have his.

DrPainMD:Yeah, yeah... we get it. Boy Scouts isn't open to gays. Big deal. Since it's a private organization, it's none of your business. No different from groups that are only open to gays. I have a great idea: join organizations that you want to join, and don't join those that you don't want to join. Unless you're against people living their lives the way they want, doing what they want to do and associating with who they want. In which case, you're just as bigoted and intolerant as they are.

I would love to unjoin the BSA, but my taxes still go towards them having free meeting places in buildings I pay for, the state will not let me unjoin their tax structure, nor will the BSA, for all it's talk of how private it is, actually cough up market rate values to build or rent it's own places. Farkin welfare queens.

DrPainMD:Yeah, yeah... we get it. Boy Scouts isn't open to gays. Big deal. Since it's a private organization, it's none of your business. No different from groups that are only open to gays. I have a great idea: join organizations that you want to join, and don't join those that you don't want to join. Unless you're against people living their lives the way they want, doing what they want to do and associating with who they want. In which case, you're just as bigoted and intolerant as they are.

Except most kids that make it egal start scouts in 2nd grade long before they think about sex at all so it's not a matter of not joining if your gay its them kicking out someone who worked 9 years

timujin:I want everyone to know that [the Eagle award] should be based on accomplishment, not your sexual orientation.

Should be? What the fark does that have to do with it? The Scouts, while considered an "American institution" are a private group of homophobes who have spent the last forty years (at least) covering for child molesters. If that's the kind of organization you wish to have the highest honors in, go ahead, but it makes you look like an idiot for doing so once you're aware of who they really are..

"When I first approached this subject, I thought the Boy Scouts of America was a private organization and had the right to set its own rules and make its own policies. I was perfectly willing to defend this right, even though I think their policies are wrong.

Then I checked out the Boy Scouts of America web page, http://www.bsa.scouting.org/index.htm. According to the Boy Scouts: "The purpose of the Boy Scouts of America, incorporated on February 8, 1910, and chartered by Congress in 1916, is to provide an educational program for boys and young adults to build character, to train in the responsibilities of participating citizenship, and to develop personal fitness."

So I now know that the organization is "chartered by Congress", i.e. the organization has the express support and approval of Congress. Any organization that discriminates or otherwise exhibits prejudice should not have Congressional endorsement. If the Boy Scouts choose to claim that they are a totally private organization, they should request that Congress rescind that charter. Congress should no more charter the Boy Scouts than it should charter the Ku Klux Klan.

It gets worse. Quoting again from the Boy Scouts' Web site, "Financial resources for the local council (the local nonprofit corporation chartered by the National Council) come from local United Ways, Sustaining Members, foundations, special events, project sales, investment income, trust funds, bequests, and gifts of real and personal property." So while some of the funds for the Boy Scouts come from dues and fees paid by members and their families, a large percentage of these funds are paid by taxpayers."

I'm wondering if this will end in substantial legal proceedings down the track.

Kingly Weevil:This makes me so sad because scouting was a program I enjoyed very much when I was a kid. At the time I of course didn't understand bigotry at the time, and never saw any examples of it myself while participating.

I just wish everyone could have the same great experiences that I had in it, and that the program would quit publicly shaming itself. This seriously makes me a little ashamed to be an Eagle Scout. I want to mail them my patch and tell them that I don't want it if he can't have his.

All of this.

/Former Eagle Scout//Completely disgusted with the way the organization is acting

I'm sure this kid knew the consequences of coming out of the closet. He stood up in the face of bigotry and announced to the world he is a homosexual. He's proven he's stronger and more confident than any Eagle Scout. Good for him for not being intimidated by some antiquated organization from the early 20th century. If I could give him his Eagle Scout badge, I would.

Weaver95:And making life difficult for them seems kinda mean and petty...

Oh, farking Christ! Yes, let's all shed a tear for the poor bigoted BSA. Let's not be mean and petty by calling them out as the bigots they are.Seriously, this "you must tolerate my intolerance" BS by conservatives never fails to amuse. We're not doing that anymore. Sorry. No more turning the other cheek.

On May 15, 2008 the House of Representatives passed H.R. 5872, an act "To require the Secretary of the Treasury to mint coins in commemoration of the centennial of the Boy Scouts of America, and for other purposes." The sale of the coins by the Secretary of the Treasury includes a surcharge on each coin sold to "be paid to the National Boy Scouts of America Foundation." In other words, this is a Congressionally mandated fundraiser for the Boy Scouts.

Congress is raising money for the Boy Scouts. I'd say that makes it my business.

Whenever I see the BSA peddling their popcorn outside a store, I REALLY want to go off on the parents who are there w/the kids. Happy to know you're actively promoting a homophobic organization, folks! But that's unfair to the kids. They don't know and are too young to care. All I can hope is that eventually they'll wake the fark up and either campaign to change the rule or quit in protest & start their own, inclusive organization.

And as members of this private organization (assuming a few other here are) we can continue to talk shiat, openly discuss in the community why we despise what they are doing, donate money to groups opposed to their stupid bigotry, and steer others towards organizations that are not child hating monsters. I realize you are just trolling but your point is made well, assuming these farkers were trying to join the Boy Scouts.

I do not turn my card so that I can actively represent myself in my community as an Eagle Scout who thinks the Boy Scouts have become a private hate group instead of the upstanding organization it once was.

All my Scoutmasters told me to lie about the whole stupid god thing. All of them. In two different troops. As a teenager, that is when I learned adults, even the ones I look up to, lie all the time in important situations.

I want everyone to know that [the Eagle award] should be based on accomplishment, not your sexual orientation.

Should be? What the fark does that have to do with it? The Scouts, while considered an "American institution" are a private group of homophobes who have spent the last forty years (at least) covering for child molesters. If that's the kind of organization you wish to have the highest honors in, go ahead, but it makes you look like an idiot for doing so once you're aware of who they really are..

I really can't believe it's the year 2012 and people still use the old homosexual = pedophile canard. I used to ask people like that if they were sexually interested in young girls. I usually got insults back. Curiously, I never really got denials.

Fark the BSA. Happy that the Girl Scouts have gone in the opposite direction and are very inclusive. Will happily allow my daughter to become a girl scout when she's old enough.

Weaver95:The Why Not Guy: Weaver95: well, yeah - I mean it's their club house, the BSA sets the rules on this one. If they say 'no gay eagle scouts' then they won't let anyone gay become an eagle scout. you might not like their rules...but you do have to respect the right of the BSA to set their own rules for their own membership.. don't like the rules, don't join the scouts.

The problem with your "logic" is that the Federal and local Governments give all kinds of in-kind support to the Scouts at taxpayer expense, ranging from free meeting spaces in schools to open houses in police and fire departments to the Department of Defense spending hundreds of thousands of dollars to help run the Jamboree.

If the Scouts want to exclude gays, fine. But why should taxpayers subsidize a group that discriminates?

well, for starters - the BSA put in a LOT of time and effort to maintain state and federal game lands and parks. if you want to put a price tag on it, the various scouting organizations put in literally hundreds of thousands of man hours (which translates to a couple billion $$$ a year in free labor) cleaning up parks, assisting in conservation efforts and working on upgrades and standard maintenance at every level of the park system. cut the BSA off from that and wanna guess what happens next? it won't be good for the parks, I can tell you that much. Careful where you go with this sort of logic. it'll bite ya in the ass faster than you realize.

I get that you don't like the BSA policies on homosexuality. hey, that's great. diversity right? But even if you don't like the scouting organization's rules on homosexuality, don't forget that they still manage to do a helluva lot of good for their local communities. everything from conservation to volunteer work. you start cutting the scouts out of society then you'll end up hurting all the people the scouts have helped. you really wanna cut your nose off to spite your face? is that a trade off you're willing to make ...

Oh, whoopee, they helped out nature. Gee, they did nice things for some people. I guess that means they're free to be assholes towards others as a form of reward or something.

I clean empty lots and help at soup kitchens, therefore I'm entitled to discriminate against Asians because they're not the same as me and I feel they're an affront to God and Jesus.

DrPainMD:Yeah, yeah... we get it. Boy Scouts isn't open to gays. Big deal. Since it's a private organization, it's none of your business. No different from groups that are only open to gays. I have a great idea: join organizations that you want to join, and don't join those that you don't want to join. Unless you're against people living their lives the way they want, doing what they want to do and associating with who they want. In which case, you're just as bigoted and intolerant as they are.

Private organizations are immune from criticism? Huh?

Calling out bigotry is not bigotry. Seriously. You're an idiot.And there are no groups "only open to gays".

DrPainMD:Yeah, yeah... we get it. Boy Scouts isn't open to gays. Big deal. Since it's a private organization, it's none of your business. No different from groups that are only open to gays. I have a great idea: join organizations that you want to join, and don't join those that you don't want to join. Unless you're against people living their lives the way they want, doing what they want to do and associating with who they want. In which case, you're just as bigoted and intolerant as they are.

FTA: Ryan, 17, came out in July. Andresen said the Scoutmaster knew about Ryan's sexual orientation and they had no idea he wouldn't sign off on the paperwork. It was "a total shock," she said, adding that Ryan was led all along to believe he would be able to get the award.

Here's an idea. If you know that someone is wasting their time, effort, and probably money working towards a goal that you won't allow them to achieve, how about you don't act like a spiteful piece of shiat and at least have the decency to tell them. It's disgusting enough when someone acts like that towards an adult, but towards a child that has placed their trust in you. That's just goddamn vile.

scottydoesntknow:Kingly Weevil: This makes me so sad because scouting was a program I enjoyed very much when I was a kid. At the time I of course didn't understand bigotry at the time, and never saw any examples of it myself while participating.

I just wish everyone could have the same great experiences that I had in it, and that the program would quit publicly shaming itself. This seriously makes me a little ashamed to be an Eagle Scout. I want to mail them my patch and tell them that I don't want it if he can't have his.

All of this.

/Former Eagle Scout//Completely disgusted with the way the organization is acting

Could this be a little more poorly written? I was able to get most of what it was trying to say, but it was an annoying read. And now I'm also convinced that a lot of jobless people were editors just a few years ago.

Cheesus:Gyrfalcon: Cheesus: They're a private organization and they can make whatever rules they want. My only complaint is forcing kids to attend their advertising pitches in public school.

/still, fark those guys

But do they have to make THIS rule?

In 2012? Really?

I live in a state that overwhelmingly banned gay marriage. A majority of the US just doesn't like homosexuals. Give it another 10-20 years.

So I guess by the same logic they can ban blacks, browns, reds, poors, retards...and nobody will care because they're a private organization and they've got a good reason for it, right? Just wait another X amount of years?

Yeah, yeah... we get it. Boy Scouts isn't open to gays. Big deal. Since it's a private organization, it's none of your business. No different from groups that are only open to gays. I have a great idea: join organizations that you want to join, and don't join those that you don't want to join. Unless you're against people living their lives the way they want, doing what they want to do and associating with who they want. In which case, you're just as bigoted and intolerant as they are.

scottydoesntknow:Kingly Weevil: This makes me so sad because scouting was a program I enjoyed very much when I was a kid. At the time I of course didn't understand bigotry at the time, and never saw any examples of it myself while participating.

I just wish everyone could have the same great experiences that I had in it, and that the program would quit publicly shaming itself. This seriously makes me a little ashamed to be an Eagle Scout. I want to mail them my patch and tell them that I don't want it if he can't have his.

All of this.

/Former Eagle Scout//Completely disgusted with the way the organization is acting

Mock26:Keizer_Ghidorah: Mock26: Mock26: Keizer_Ghidorah: Mock26: Keizer_Ghidorah: Mock26: The kid is gay and is a member of an organization that opposes homosexuality. What the Hades did he expect would happen if they found out? I do not condone the BSA's policy, but I do fully support their right to be a private organization. I only hope that they will some day change their stance on this because I would really like to put my uniform back on and become a Scout Master again.

/Not gay.

He joined before he was aware of what sexuality was, like a lot of Scouts. Why should he be punished for it? Why is being straight one of the requirements for a badge that tells everyone you're a cool person?

Once he figured out his sexuality then he should have quit. As for why he is being punished, well, quite frankly, he "broke the rules." Is that right? It really does not matter whether it is morally right or wrong. What matters is that it is "right" in regards to how the BSA is set up. Do not get me wrong, I am not condoning the BSA's anti-homosexual stance. As soon as they won their landmark Supreme Court lawsuit I quit, and I have not put on my uniform since then. But, as I said previously, they are a private organization and as such are allowed to set their own rules.

Then let's make being black against the rules. Let's make being a brunette against the rules. Over four feet tall? Against the rules. Ring finger as long as the middle finger? Against the rules. Sound retarded? Yep, just like making the particular demonized natural biological aspect being discussed "against the rules".

You farkers claim to follow a being of love and tolerance and piety, and in the same breath preach hatred and intolerance and arrogance. Your god tells you to love everyone as you love him and yourself, and you scream and screech about how evil and icky humanity is. God gives you the gift of life, and you squander it being complete farktards towards others. You take what you proclaim is his holy bo ...

Hey, you wanna defend evil, knock yourself out. I won't. I'll tell them what I think of them and to get a clue and with the 21st century, along with anyone who thinks they're in the right.

Red_Fox:I used to be a scout and received the Chief Scout of Canada's award (Eagle was too american of a name for us)...and I HATE what these shiatheads just did to this kid!

The Canadian Scouts are bound by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to not discriminate...

From the Scout's Canada FAQ page:"Do You Have to Believe in God to Join Scouts Canada? Is Scouting a Christian Organization?No, but you must have a basic spiritual belief. Spirituality has been one of the three main principles of Scouting around the world since its inception more than 100 years ago. Scouts Canada is proud of its commitment to diversity and welcomes members of many different faiths and denominations.You need not belong to an organized religion, but all members must take the Scout Promise in good faith and leaders may include some form of spirituality in their program for the youth. "God" represents spirituality and for some may represent an actual deity, but it may also mean an expression of your personal spirituality."Duty to God" as defined by the World Organization of the Scouting Movement, means "a person's relationship with the spiritual values of life, the fundamental belief in a force above mankind."

Are Homosexuals Allowed to Join Scouts Canada? Scouts Canada does not discriminate for reasons of gender, culture, religious belief or sexual orientation."

The God thing is a bit of a slippery slope, but the actual wording insulates them from leaders that want to get a little more religious.

mark12A:I do not have a problem with this. BSA is a private organization, and can do whatever the fark they want.

Denying membership does NOT equal hatred.

The practical fact of the matter is that parents of young boys simply do not want their boys going camping in the woods with gays anymore than parents want their daughters going camping in the woods with young straight boys. Simply too much potential for trouble.

And I've seen it and heard it, in scouting (co-ed Explorer Posts) and many years ago in Civil Air Patrol cadet units, until they clamped down and set up night watches. As scout leaders, we would say we would lead coed units as soon as BSA started issuing Chastity Belts.

Go ahead and laugh, but your attitude is way different when you're responsible for teh kiddies....

See the problem is the BSA is not a private group, they accept federal money, use public places with Sweetheart deals, like rent for a dollar, if not free.

PapaChester:I do not turn my card so that I can actively represent myself in my community as an Eagle Scout who thinks the Boy Scouts have become a private hate group instead of the upstanding organization it once was.

Except that by these rules, it's always been a private hate organization. It's like keeping a KKK membership card so you can show the community that the KKK used to be OK, and you're trying to change things "from the inside."

Ok, it might've already been mentioned, but Eagle Scouts all across the country are just as disgusted as you with the way BSA has been acting, so they're writing letters to BSA and mailing their badges back. BoingBoing has covered it repeatedly and there's a tumblr of a bunch of different letters and pictures of people mailing their stuff in - 179 letters as of 10/1/12, after starting the site in late July this year.

"On my honor I will do my best to do my duty, to God and my country. To obey the scout law, to keep myself physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight" - scout oath

Now, I am not of the opinion that "morally straight" excludes homosexuals, but the powers at be in scouting are.

I really hate this too, scouting helped me develop discipline, get over my borderline OCD, and foster my love of camping. The vast majority of scout troops don't give a shiat if you're gay or an atheist. We had at least one atheist in our troop and just told him to hush up about the religion requirements. If we had had an openly gay scout, I'm sure we would have welcomed him too. The real issue is that the upper leadership are too old and too...mormon. It's a fantastic organization, but there needs to be a serious change at the highest levels.

The organization itself is structured to allow discrimination against atheists and homosexuals. Individual troops have to be complicit in order for that discrimination to actually take place. There are plenty of troops that welcome atheists and homosexuals. However, it is unfortunate that it just takes one douchebag on the troop committee to start f*cking things up.

I'm sorry... I'm not sure if you're discussing the Boy Scouts or the SS. Which was it again?

And late Thursday, the Boy Scouts of America said in a statement that because of Andresen's sexual orientation and that he did not agree to Scouting's principle of "Duty to God," "he is no longer eligible for membership in Scouting."

/And that's the game, thanks for playing folks. Good luck getting anyone except ultra right wing conservatives in the scouts. This statement and your lack of reporting child buggering makes you seem as bad as the catholic church, who's membership is declining. Good job.

Take my Eagle medal you bigoted pieces of shiat, and farking choke on it

Eagle Scout, Order of the Arrow, and former JASM. I am very proud of me Eagle rank. I worked really hard for it. I spent many a weekend recycling glass, cleaning roads, dump sites, park trails, building bird houses, and a myriad of other worthy community causes. Boy Scouts taught me how to lead, be independant, and an all around decent human being. I learned skills in Scouts that use every single day of my life. I have Eagle Scout on my resume, and for the first time in my life it's accomplishment I'm considering removing.

Damn you and your pseudo-christian Bullshiat. Damn you for ruining one of the greatest things from my childhood. You old bigoted self righteous bastards. I hate you. This young man for all appearances seems to exemplify everything scouting is supposed to stand for, and you blatantly deny him something he very much deserves. Damn you damn you damn you. I've had it.

I just found a website called scoutingforall. They have an address to send my badges and awards to. They'll be soon getting a box with my uniform, OA sash, and felt box that holds my most precious childhood accomplishment. I was going to send it to the BSA, but I think sending it to scoutingforall might be better.

From another eagle scout who already sent in his medal and OA sash: physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.

Take my Eagle medal you bigoted pieces of shiat, and farking choke on it

Eagle Scout, Order of the Arrow, and former JASM. I am very proud of me Eagle rank. I worked really hard for it. I spent many a weekend recycling glass, cleaning roads, dump sites, park trails, building bird houses, and a myriad of other worthy community causes. Boy Scouts taught me how to lead, be independant, and an all around decent human being. I learned skills in Scouts that use every single day of my life. I have Eagle Scout on my resume, and for the first time in my life it's accomplishment I'm considering removing.

Damn you and your pseudo-christian Bullshiat. Damn you for ruining one of the greatest things from my childhood. You old bigoted self righteous bastards. I hate you. This young man for all appearances seems to exemplify everything scouting is supposed to stand for, and you blatantly deny him something he very much deserves. Damn you damn you damn you. I've had it.

I just found a website called scoutingforall. They have an address to send my badges and awards to. They'll be soon getting a box with my uniform, OA sash, and felt box that holds my most precious childhood accomplishment. I was going to send it to the BSA, but I think sending it to scoutingforall might be better.

Weaver95:eddiesocket: Weaver95: Sylvia_Bandersnatch:There's more to it than that, though. BSA groups also get off-book funding of a sort, in the form of free provisions from publicly-owned, taxpayer-funded facilities and resources. It's long been the practice in many communities, for example, to let the BSA use facilities such as public school spaces for free -- spaces that other non-profits would be asked to pay to use. That amounts to taxpayer support.

not really. I mean...consider all the effort the BSA puts into their local communities. again - everything from volunteer work to conservation efforts. VERY few other organizations do that for local communities. I think it's a wash as far as this talking point goes.

Well, we certainly can't argue with your solid stats.

it's 1am and f*ck you if think i'm gonna go wade thru google searches looking for verified stats on just how many man hours the BSA puts in per year on conservation work across the USA. short answer? lots. longer answer: HELL of a lot.

You're missing my point. It's irrelevant. ANY use of public space is public accommodation. Public accommodation in violation of law is illegal. That's all there is to this. There's nothing to look up, no accounting to be done. The BSA can paint every fire hydrant in town, but if they spend fifteen minutes in a public school gym that everyone else has to pay for, and they don't pay, and that jurisdiction bans discrimination against gays, then the law has been broken.

That's all we're saying: Private org, private rights, fine. But from now on you pay just like everyone else. If you don't want to obey our laws, then we can't legally extend you any public favours.

Weaver95:Keizer_Ghidorah: Oh, whoopee, they helped out nature. Gee, they did nice things for some people. I guess that means they're free to be assholes towards others as a form of reward or something.

I clean empty lots and help at soup kitchens, therefore I'm entitled to discriminate against Asians because they're not the same as me and I feel they're an affront to God and Jesus.

sorry man - the world isn't always black and white. you drive the BSA out of your local communities and well...you'll pay a price for it. actions, consequences, blah blah blah.

No one's saying the BSA should be run out of anywhere. We're only saying if they're going to insist on pushing their "We're a PRIVATE org, nyah nyah!" line, then fine, let them pay their fair share, just like every other private org has to. No more free rides on the public dime. It's rationally irrelevajnt how much they do in the community, and it's absolutely untrue that "very few" other groups do. LOTS of groups do, just about everywhere. The BSA goes camping and tells boys God will smite them if they're queer. That's not the kind of 'community service' this taxpayer is enthusiastic about in her own community. Yours may be different. But here, we have actual laws against such discrimination in accommodation and public spaces, and that means that taxpayers are not allowed to fund any such thing. But when the BSA uses one of our schools for free, that's what's actually happening. It's not a 'wash'; it's actually illegal, and it doesn't matter what or how much else they do that's "good".

stiletto_the_wise:obamadidcoke: Not allowing homosexuals doesn't make BSA a hate group. I belong to both the American Bar Association and the VFW both of these organizations have exclusionary membership requirements, but they are not hate groups.

Weaver95:Keizer_Ghidorah: Oh, whoopee, they helped out nature. Gee, they did nice things for some people. I guess that means they're free to be assholes towards others as a form of reward or something.

I clean empty lots and help at soup kitchens, therefore I'm entitled to discriminate against Asians because they're not the same as me and I feel they're an affront to God and Jesus.

sorry man - the world isn't always black and white. you drive the BSA out of your local communities and well...you'll pay a price for it. actions, consequences, blah blah blah.

What consequences? The people living in those areas can do those jobs just as easily, and they'd get the money instead. The kids can always join Little League or something if they need a group to belong to.

Fark bigots, plain and simple. You use your ancient religion to discriminate and hate, you can shove rusty nails in your eyes for all I care. Meanwhile the rest of us will be decent human beings.

Weaver95:ooook, so there's a point of difference. the KKK goes out and uses physical threats and intimidation while the BSA...does what again exactly? oh, right...doesn't let gays join their reindeer games.

not exactly the same sorts of organizations after all, are they?

Again, I never said they were the same. Only that they were both hate groups.

scottydoesntknow:Kingly Weevil: I just wish everyone could have the same great experiences that I had in it, and that the program would quit publicly shaming itself. This seriously makes me a little ashamed to be an Eagle Scout. I want to mail them my patch and tell them that I don't want it if he can't have his.

All of this.

/Former Eagle Scout//Completely disgusted with the way the organization is acting

obamadidcoke: This is a private organization that is allowed to regulate it's membership. If you disagree with their views on homosexuality don't join. I don't understand why a gay kid would join anyway.

I keep reading variations on this "Boy Scouts are a private organization" meme, even though the fact that they were chartered by congress and receive federal tax money has been mentioned several times in this thread already. Do you guys just not read, or are you trying to drown out reality with your homophobe-supporting bullsh#t?

Weaver95:And late Thursday, the Boy Scouts of America said in a statement that because of Andresen's sexual orientation and that he did not agree to Scouting's principle of "Duty to God," "he is no longer eligible for membership in Scouting."

well, yeah - I mean it's their club house, the BSA sets the rules on this one. If they say 'no gay eagle scouts' then they won't let anyone gay become an eagle scout. you might not like their rules...but you do have to respect the right of the BSA to set their own rules for their own membership.. don't like the rules, don't join the scouts.

Since most of them join the scouts before they ever think about sexuality, how does that work? Why should they be punished for being born the way they are?

God doesn't give a flying shiat about who you love and find attractive, why should we?

Another Eagle Scout here who is thoroughly disgusted with today's BSA.

Fark you and your magic underwear, Mormons. Take your idiot theology, written by a convicted felon scam artist, and shove it.

The Scouts have taken a lot of knocks, but aside from the Christian nightsoil, the organization is good. We did a lot of backpacking and went on long-term hikes of 7-10 days in the summer in the high Sierras.

You learned basic survival, got to run around the woods with your friends and it was a good time.

We had good leaders, too. All the adults were professionals. A doctor was almost always on the hikes, some lawyers, and lots of engineers. The engineers were cool. A few of them worked on military satellites who knew a ridiculous amount about the stars. They'd tell us around the campfire and they'd also pick out satellites and could tell if they were Soviet or US based on the orbit and how fast they rotated.

Homosexuality never came up. There were probably a few gays, but it wasn't a problem and I don't think they would have been thrown out. Also, most of the troop were non-believers. That didn't come up, either.

Anyhow, I got a lot of the Scouts. I just wish it wasn't so farked up.

No, I'm not giving them a cent or a minute of volunteer work until they knock off the horsepoop.

Alonjar:HOWEVER... you cant deny the elephant in the room in regards to gay scout masters/elders. While it sucks to paint innocent gays with such a tainted brush, I can understand the concerns of parents with leaving their children under the supervision of gay adults who actively seek interaction with little boys. Its just... sketchy. The boy scouts of america have an image to keep up, and saying "leave your little boy with gay uncle jimmy!" just leaves a bad taste in most peoples mouths.

Weaver95:And late Thursday, the Boy Scouts of America said in a statement that because of Andresen's sexual orientation and that he did not agree to Scouting's principle of "Duty to God," "he is no longer eligible for membership in Scouting."

well, yeah - I mean it's their club house, the BSA sets the rules on this one. If they say 'no gay eagle scouts' then they won't let anyone gay become an eagle scout. you might not like their rules...but you do have to respect the right of the BSA to set their own rules for their own membership.. don't like the rules, don't join the scouts.

The problem, as others have stated above (and as the parent in TFA says), is that young CHILDREN join the cub scouts. These are 6-8 year olds who have no sexual feeling or identities. How in the world are these children supposed to know that they are unwelcomed? I agree that a private organization can set their own membership criteria, but do you really think children know, at the time, whether they are heterosexual or homosexual and, thus, comply with this unwritten membership rule? Cmon...

Maybe the scout should have just stayed in the closet until after he received the Eagle Scout status, but what a terribly shiatty choice. He spent years in the Boy Scouts, and he's supposed to abandon it because he's learned that he's gay? Again, for an adult, that's fine, but these are kids for crying out loud. Certainly there should be lessons that should be taught to children that do not include" if you like penis, you should be ashamed for thinking you can a Boy Scout".

Abox:I'm tired of taking the right side so I'm going to take the wrong side.

Gay is a sin according to the bible. Groups should be commended for punishing the choice to sin. Choosing the sin of homosexuality has negative consequences as it ought to and as God intended. If we ever expect to get this country back on track we should support this action and not pander to the gay agenda.

Ignoring your reference to "choosing" (other than to ask if you care to cite this?), homosexuality is no more a sin than eating pork or shellfish, wearing clothes of mixed cloth (such as boy scout uniforms) or working on the Sabbath (so no weekend camps for boy scouts then). To be so selective about which bits of the bible you want to follow smacks strongly of simple bigotry. It's hypocrisy, not simply about the gay agenda (what the hell is the gay agenda anyway? Margaret Cho brilliantly identified it as "assless wedding gowns").

I am an eagle scout, and this shiat makes me sick to my stomach. If he earned the badges and did the project, give him the damned rank. I had to fake God for 3 years for mine, and it was BS then. Give the kid a break.

Alonjar:For the record, I support peoples right to be gay.. if that does it for you, good for you.

HOWEVER... you cant deny the elephant in the room in regards to gay scout masters/elders. While it sucks to paint innocent gays with such a tainted brush, I can understand the concerns of parents with leaving their children under the supervision of gay adults who actively seek interaction with little boys. Its just... sketchy. The boy scouts of america have an image to keep up, and saying "leave your little boy with gay uncle jimmy!" just leaves a bad taste in most peoples mouths.

I'm not homophobic.. but theres just certain things people wont be comfortable with, and this is one of them. The risk of damaging the reputation of the boy scouts in the same fashion as the Catholic church is too large for them to bear, and I understand.

I'm tired of taking the right side so I'm going to take the wrong side.

Gay is a sin according to the bible. Groups should be commended for punishing the choice to sin. Choosing the sin of homosexuality has negative consequences as it ought to and as God intended. If we ever expect to get this country back on track we should support this action and not pander to the gay agenda.

WxGuy1:DrPainMD: Yeah, yeah... we get it. Boy ScoutsThe KKK isn't open to gaysblacks. Big deal. Since it's a private organization, it's none of your business. No different from groups that are only open to gaysblacks. I have a great idea: join organizations that you want to join, and don't join those that you don't want to join. Unless you're against people living their lives the way they want, doing what they want to do and associating with who they want. In which case, you're just as bigoted and intolerant as they are.

How does that sound? Sure, I and many support the right of the KKK to exist, we also are enraged when they do something showing blatant bigotry.You don't see why people would be upset about it? As noted by others (and in TFA), this kid started at a very young age, well before he knew he was gay. From the sounds of it, he would have received the Eagle Scout he so deserved by meeting all written requirements if he had been with another troop or in another part of the country. You don't see why people don't think this is right? This is an organization for kids -- why the heck does sexual orientation have anything to do with it? Is the Boy Scouts of America banning homosexual teens or not?

The KKK is open to black members. The problem is that the membership rules are extremely strict and most blacks can't make the cut.

For the record, I support peoples right to be gay.. if that does it for you, good for you.

HOWEVER... you cant deny the elephant in the room in regards to gay scout masters/elders. While it sucks to paint innocent gays with such a tainted brush, I can understand the concerns of parents with leaving their children under the supervision of gay adults who actively seek interaction with little boys. Its just... sketchy. The boy scouts of america have an image to keep up, and saying "leave your little boy with gay uncle jimmy!" just leaves a bad taste in most peoples mouths.

I'm not homophobic.. but theres just certain things people wont be comfortable with, and this is one of them. The risk of damaging the reputation of the boy scouts in the same fashion as the Catholic church is too large for them to bear, and I understand.

DrPainMD:Yeah, yeah... we get it. Boy ScoutsThe KKK isn't open to gaysblacks. Big deal. Since it's a private organization, it's none of your business. No different from groups that are only open to gaysblacks. I have a great idea: join organizations that you want to join, and don't join those that you don't want to join. Unless you're against people living their lives the way they want, doing what they want to do and associating with who they want. In which case, you're just as bigoted and intolerant as they are.

How does that sound? Sure, I and many support the right of the KKK to exist, we also are enraged when they do something showing blatant bigotry.You don't see why people would be upset about it? As noted by others (and in TFA), this kid started at a very young age, well before he knew he was gay. From the sounds of it, he would have received the Eagle Scout he so deserved by meeting all written requirements if he had been with another troop or in another part of the country. You don't see why people don't think this is right? This is an organization for kids -- why the heck does sexual orientation have anything to do with it? Is the Boy Scouts of America banning homosexual teens or not?

AbbeySomeone:I participated in Camp Fire Girls in the 60's and 70's. I hear that they have changed to include everyone, I learned this from a gay male coworker.Hmmm.

Holy cats, I thought I was the only one who'd ever been a Campfire Girl. In 40 years, you're literally the second Campfire Girl (outside of the 8 girls in my troop) I've ever met. I think my mother enrolled me because they met at our church and she was too lazy to find a Girl Scout troop.

4 years later, the den mother who ran my troop moved & a Girl Scout troop started at the church. My sister belonged to that.

/I think I only got as high as Bluejay or something--whatever was the 2nd level--before the den mother moved. Really can't remember

Read this and compare how many of these are homosexual vs heterosexual occurrences.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scouting_sex_abuse_casesI'm sorry, but older men on boys does bring bad attention down on homosexuality.You can say it's not the same thing, but same gender on same gender fits the definition.I don't mean to upset anyone, but I refuse to ignore reality just because it is hurtful or not how I wish.

Kingly Weevil:This makes me so sad because scouting was a program I enjoyed very much when I was a kid. At the time I of course didn't understand bigotry at the time, and never saw any examples of it myself while participating.

I just wish everyone could have the same great experiences that I had in it, and that the program would quit publicly shaming itself. This seriously makes me a little ashamed to be an Eagle Scout. I want to mail them my patch and tell them that I don't want it if he can't have his.

Stop joining organizations like this, stop supporting organizations that support them. When people join them, donate money to them, buy goods that support them, etc. it tells them that people approve of their policies

Even if a boycott doesn't hurt them or does't cause them to change their ways, it's still better then supporting an organization that behaves like this.

1. Don't you understand, guys? They have a tradition of excluding black people the gheyz. You can't honestly expect them to change now.2. It's a private organization. Let the people vote with their feet and their dollars. We don't need the government stepping in here.3. Look at all the good they have done in the world!4. Oh great, another thing ruined because one sensitive kid had his feelings hurt. Next you'll be asking that they all get medals just for showing up, right?5. Why don't we just leave it up to the states each troop to decide? My local troop is totally cool with black people the gheyz.

I really want to play the role of scumbag concerned apologist, but I'm too tired to pick a turd tonight. Please just pick one for me and respond to it.

snuff3r:My seven year old son is a scout. The scouts here are absolutely nothing like the US version. My sons troop couldn't be any more accepting, they even refuse to do the whole god thing.

But then i read crap like this and I am reminded of its roots and I am ashamed that my son is involved in an organisation that pulls this sort of crap.

There is no "US version" of the scouts.

The organization itself is structured to allow discrimination against atheists and homosexuals. Individual troops have to be complicit in order for that discrimination to actually take place. There are plenty of troops that welcome atheists and homosexuals. However, it is unfortunate that it just takes one douchebag on the troop committee to start f*cking things up.

My son loves Cub Scouting. I'll encourage him to continue in Boy Scouts because as far as I know, it's the only organization where activities largely organized and directed by the youths themselves (when done right and not involving a bunch of helicopter parents).

Wait.. I did the cub scout thing and a year of actual boy scouts before I told my parents that I'd rather play soccer and little league than filter water and shiat in the woods, and I haven't really thought about it since.

Looks like some Scout Council is not going to get a Diversity Merit Badge, plus they'll need to rewrite the oath Here's a start: honor, country, help other people at all times, morally, kind, friendly, brave I'm sure they won't get to ever associate with Scouts from other countries either.